Multilayer electronic component

ABSTRACT

A multilayer electronic component includes a body including dielectric layers and internal electrodes alternately disposed in a first direction, and external electrodes disposed on the body to be connected to the internal electrodes. At least one internal electrode of the internal electrodes includes a plurality of disconnected portions penetrating through a respective internal electrode. A disconnected portion of the plurality of disconnected portions includes at least one of a pore or a dielectric substance disposed to connect adjacent dielectric layers to each other. A dielectric filling ratio, defined as a ratio of an overall length of the dielectric substance to an overall length of the disconnected portion on a cross section in the third and first directions, is more than 20% to 80% or less.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is the continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/181,331 filed on Feb. 22, 2021, now U.S. Pat.No. 11,450,481, which is the continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/786,159 filed on Feb. 10, 2010, now U.S. Pat.No. 11,037,727, which claims the benefit of priority to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2019-0091562 filed on Jul. 29, 2019 in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the entire disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a multilayer electronic component.

BACKGROUND

A multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC), a type of capacitor component, isa chip-type capacitor mounted on the printed circuit boards of variouselectronic products such as imaging devices such as liquid crystaldisplays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers,smartphones, and mobile phones, serving to charge or dischargeelectricity.

Such an MLCC may be used as a component of various electronic devicesdue to advantages thereof such as compactness, guaranteed highcapacitance, and ease of mountability. As various electronic devicessuch as computers and mobile devices are small in size and high inpower, there is increasing demand for miniaturization and highcapacitance of multilayer ceramic capacitors.

In order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance in a multilayerceramic capacitor, a dielectric layer and an internal electrode shouldbe thinned to increase the number of laminated layers. At present, athickness of a dielectric layer has reached a level of about 0.6 μm, andthe thinning continues to be performed.

As a dielectric layer and an internal electrode are thinned, the numberof laminated layers may be increased but the number of boundariesbetween dielectric layers and the internal electrodes may also beincreased. The boundary between the dielectric layer and the internalelectrode is a region in which heterogeneous materials such as a metaland ceramic are bonded to each other. Due to low bonding strengthbetween the heterogeneous materials, the boundary is vulnerable todelamination and cracking. In addition, the delamination and thecracking may cause humidity resistance reliability to be degraded.

The information included in this Background section is only forenhancement of understanding of the general background of the presentdisclosure and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form ofsuggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to aperson skilled in the art.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayerelectronic component can provide an improved reliability.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayerelectronic component can have an improved withstand voltagecharacteristics.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayerelectronic component can achieve miniaturization while also securinghigh capacitance of a multilayer electronic component.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, amultilayer electronic component includes a body including dielectriclayers and internal electrodes alternately disposed in a firstdirection, and having first and second surfaces disposed to oppose eachother in the first direction, third and fourth surfaces connected to thefirst and second surfaces and disposed to oppose each other in a seconddirection, and fifth and sixth surfaces connected to the first to fourthsurfaces and disposed to oppose each other in a third direction, andexternal electrodes disposed on the body to be connected to the internalelectrodes. At least one internal electrode of the internal electrodesincludes a plurality of disconnected portions penetrating through arespective internal electrode. A disconnected portion of the pluralityof disconnected portions includes at least one of a pore or a dielectricsubstance disposed to connect adjacent dielectric layers to each other.A dielectric filling ratio, defined as a ratio of an overall length ofthe dielectric substance to an overall length of the disconnectedportion on a cross section in the third and first directions, is morethan 20% to 80% or less.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, amultilayer electronic component includes a body including dielectriclayers and internal electrodes alternately disposed in a first directionand external electrodes disposed on the body. At least one internalelectrode of the internal electrodes includes a plurality ofdisconnected portions penetrating through a respective internalelectrode. A disconnected portion of the plurality of disconnectedportions includes at least one of a pore or a dielectric substancedisposed to connect adjacent dielectric layers to each other. Thedielectric substance includes a same material as the dielectric layers.At least one of the plurality of disconnected portions includes both thepore and the dielectric substance and has a length greater than athickness of the at least one internal electrode on a cross section ofthe body taken in the first direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a multilayer electroniccomponent according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ in FIG.1 ;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II′ inFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of region B in FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is an image, scanned by a scanning electron microscope (SEM),illustrating a cross section of a multilayer electronic componentaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of region B′ in FIG. 3 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments in the present disclosure will be described asfollows with reference to the attached drawings. The present disclosuremay, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosureto those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the shapes and dimensionsof elements may be exaggerated for clarity, and the same referencenumerals will be used throughout to designate the same or likecomponents.

Also, elements having the same function within a scope of the sameconcept illustrated in drawings of respective embodiments will bedescribed by using the same reference numerals. Terms used in thepresent specification are for explaining the embodiments rather thanlimiting the present invention. Unless explicitly described to thecontrary, a singular form includes a plural form in the presentspecification. The word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or“comprising,” will be understood to imply the inclusion of statedconstituents, steps, operations and/or elements but not the exclusion ofany other constituents, steps, operations and/or elements.

In drawings, an X direction may be defined as a second direction, an Ldirection, or a length direction, a Y direction may be defined as athird direction, a W direction, or a width direction, and a Z directionmay be defined as a first direction, a stacking direction, a Tdirection, or a thickness direction.

Capacitor Component

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a multilayer electroniccomponent according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ in FIG.1 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II′ inFIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of region B in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is an image, scanned by a scanning electron microscope (SEM),illustrating a cross section of a multilayer electronic componentaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , a multilayer electronic component accordingto an exemplary embodiment includes a body 110 including dielectriclayers 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 alternately disposed in afirst direction (a Z direction) and having first and second surfaces 1and 2 disposed to oppose each other in the first direction (the Zdirection), third and fourth surfaces 3 and 4 connected to the first andsecond surfaces 1 and 2 and disposed to oppose each other in a seconddirection (an X direction), and fifth and sixth surfaces 5 and 6connected to the first to fourth surfaces 1, 2, 3, and 4 and disposed tooppose each other in a third direction (a Y direction), and externalelectrodes 131 and 132 disposed on external surfaces of the body 110 tobe connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122. The internalelectrode includes a plurality of disconnected portions G penetratingthrough the internal electrode. The disconnected portion G includes apore P and at least one of the dielectric substances D disposed toconnect adjacent dielectric layers 111 a and 111 b to each other. Adielectric filling ratio, defined as a ratio of an overall length of thedielectric substance D to an overall length of the disconnected portionG on a cross section in the third and first directions (a cross sectionin the Y and Z directions), is more than 20% to 80% or less.

In the body 110, the dielectric layers 111 and the internal electrodes121 and 122 are alternately laminated.

The body 110 is not limited in shape, but may have a hexahedral shape ora shape similar thereto. Due to shrinkage of ceramic powder particlesincluded in the body 110 during sintering, the body 110 may have asubstantially hexahedral shape rather than a hexahedral shape havingcomplete straight lines.

The body 110 may have first and second surfaces 1 and 2 disposed tooppose each other in a thickness direction (a Z direction), third andfourth surfaces 3 and 4 connected to the first and second surfaces 1 and2 and disposed to oppose each other in a length direction (an Xdirection), and fifth and sixth surfaces connected to the first andsecond surfaces 1 and 2 as well as to the third and fourth surfaces 3and 4 and disposed to oppose each other in a width direction (a Ydirection).

The plurality of dielectric layers 111, constituting the body 110, is ina sintered state and may be integrated with each other such thatboundaries therebetween may not be readily apparent without using ascanning electron microscope (SEM).

A raw material forming the dielectric layers 111 is not limited as longas sufficient capacitance can be obtained, but may be, for example,barium titanate (BaTiO₃)-based powder particles. In the raw materialforming the dielectric layers 111, various ceramic additives, organicsolvents, plasticizers, binders, dispersing agents, and the like, may beadded to powder particles such as barium titanate (BaTiO₃) powderparticles or the like, according to the purpose of the presentdisclosure.

In this case, the body 110 may include a capacitance forming portion A,disposed inside the body 110, including a first internal electrode 121and a second internal electrode 122 disposed to face each other with thedielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween, and cover portions 112 and113 disposed above and below the capacitance forming portion A.

The capacitance forming portion A may be a portion contributing toforming capacitance of a capacitor and may be formed by repeatedlylaminating a plurality of first and second internal electrodes 121 and122 with respective dielectric layers 111.

The upper cover portion 112 and the lower cover portion 113 may beformed by laminating a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectriclayers on the upper and lower surfaces of the capacitance formingportion A in a thickness direction, respectively. The upper coverportion 112 and the lower cover portion 113 may basically serve toprevent damage to an internal electrode caused by physical or chemicalstress.

The upper cover part 112 and the lower cover part 113 may not include aninternal electrode, and may include the same material as the dielectriclayer 111.

For example, the upper cover portion 112 and the lower cover portion 113may include a ceramic material such as a barium titanate (BaTiO₃)-basedceramic material.

In addition, margin portions 114 and 115 may be disposed on sidesurfaces of the capacitance forming portion A.

The margin portions 114 and 115 include a margin portion 114, disposedon the sixth surface 6 of the body 110, and a margin portion 115disposed on the fifth surface 5. For example, the margin parts 114 and115 may be disposed on both side surfaces of the ceramic body 110 in thewidth direction.

The margin portion 114 and 115 may refer to regions between boundariesbetween both ends of the first and second internal electrodes 121 and122 and the body 110 in a cross-section of the body 110 taken in awidth-thickness (W-T) direction, as illustrated in FIG. 3 .

The margins 114 and 115 may basically serve to prevent damage to theinternal electrode caused by physical or chemical stress.

The margins 114 and 115 may be formed by applying a conductive paste,except for a region in which the margin portion is to be formed, to forman internal electrode on the ceramic green sheet.

In order to prevent a step from being formed by the internal electrodes121 and 122, after the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be laminatedand then cut to be exposed to the fifth and sixth surfaces 5 and 6 ofthe body 110, a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layersmay be laminated on both side surfaces of the capacitance formingportion A in the width direction to form the margin portions 114 and115.

The internal electrodes 121 and 122 are alternately laminated with thedielectric layer 111.

The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include first and secondinternal electrodes 121 and 122. The first and second internalelectrodes 121 and 122 are alternately disposed to face each other withdielectric layers 111, constituting the body 110, interposedtherebetween and may be exposed to the third and fourth surfaces 3 and 4of the body 110, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the first internal electrode 121 may be spacedapart from the fourth surface 4 and exposed through the third surface 3,and the second internal electrode 122 may be spaced apart from the thirdsurface 3 and exposed through the fourth surface 4.

In this case, the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 maybe electrically separated from each other by the dielectric layer 111disposed therebetween.

The body 110 may be formed by alternately laminating a ceramic greensheet, on which the first internal electrode 121 is printed, and aceramic green sheet, on which the second internal electrode 122 isprinted, and firing the laminated ceramic green sheets. A material ofthe internal electrodes 121 and 122 is not limited, and may be amaterial having improved electrical conductivity.

For example, the body 110 may be formed by printing a conductive pastefor an internal electrode, including at least one of palladium (Pd),nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and alloys thereof, on a ceramic green sheet.

In addition, an appropriate amount of at least one of silicon (Si),magnesium (Mg), and aluminum (Al) may be included in the conductivepaste for internal electrodes to control the dielectric filling ratio.

A method of printing the conductive paste for an internal electrode maybe a screen-printing method, a gravure printing method, or the like, butis not limited thereto.

Since the conductive paste for an internal electrode and the ceramicgreen sheet are different in shrinkage initiation temperatures,agglomeration or disconnection of an internal electrode may occur aftersintering. Therefore, when observing a cross section of a body taken ina stacking direction after sintering, a disconnected portion of theinternal electrode may be observed.

In general, a disconnected portion of an internal electrode is formed asa pore. When the disconnected portion is formed as a pore, bonding forceis not generated. Accordingly, the pore of the disconnected portion mayreduce the bonding force between the dielectric layer and the internalelectrodes to reduce strength of a multilayer electronic component andto increase probability of occurrence of delamination and cracking todegrade humidity resistance reliability.

However, in the present disclosure, a portion of the disconnectedportion G may include a dielectric substance D, disposed to connectadjacent dielectric layers (111 a, 111 b), to improve the bonding force.Thus, strength of the multilayer electronic component may be improvedand delamination and cracking may be suppressed to improve humidityresistance reliability.

According to the present disclosure, the internal electrodes 121 and 122include a plurality of disconnected portions G, penetrating the internalelectrodes, and the disconnected portion G may include at least onedielectric material D among dielectric materials disposed to connectadjacent dielectric layers 111 a and 111 b to each other.

FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged view of the internal electrode 121.Hereinafter, an internal electrode according to the present disclosurewill be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4 with focus on thefirst internal electrode 121, but the description thereof may beidentically applied to the second internal electrode 122.

The internal electrode 121 includes a plurality of disconnected portionsG penetrating through the internal electrode 121. The disconnectedportion G may include a pore P and at least one of the dielectricsubstances D disposed to connect the adjacent dielectric layers 111 aand 111 b to each other. For example, the disconnected portion G may beentirely filled with a dielectric substance D, or may include a pore Pwithout a dielectric substance D (FIG. 6 ) and may include both the poreP and the dielectric substance D. In addition, one disconnected portionG may include two or more pores P or two or more dielectric substancesD.

The dielectric substance D may be disposed in the form of connecting theadjacent dielectric layers 111 a and 111 b. For example, the dielectricsubstance D is disposed in the form of connecting the dielectric layer111 a, disposed above the disconnected portion G and the dielectriclayer 111 b, disposed below the disconnected portion G, to improve thebonding force between the upper and lower dielectric layers 111 a and111 b. As a result, strength of a multilayer electronic component can beimproved and delamination and cracking may be suppressed to improvehumidity resistance reliability.

The dielectric substance D may include the same material as thedielectric layer 111. For example, the dielectric substance D and thedielectric layer 111 may include barium titanate (BaTiO₃), and mayinclude barium titanate (BaTiO₃) as a main component.

The dielectric (D) may include at least one of silicon (Si), magnesium(Mg), and aluminum (Al).

At least one of the plurality of disconnected portions G includes both apore P and a dielectric substance D, disposed to connect the adjacentdielectric layers, to further improve the bonding force between adjacentdielectric layers.

At least one of the plurality of disconnected portions G may have alength greater than a thickness of the internal electrode on a crosssection in the first direction to further improve the bonding forcebetween adjacent dielectric layers.

At least one of the plurality of disconnected portions G may include adielectric substance D disposed to connect adjacent dielectric layers toeach other.

Not all dielectric substances, included in the disconnected portion G,may be disposed in the form of connecting the adjacent dielectric layers111 a and 111 b. A portion of the dielectric substances, included in thediscontented portion G, may be disposed in the form of being notconnected to anyone of the upper and lower dielectric layers 111 a and111 b (FIG. 6 ).

The pore P may be a void filled with air, and may be a portion in whichbonding force is not generated.

Except for the disconnected portions G of the internal electrode, theother portions may be electrode portions E. The electrode portion E maybe formed by sintering a conductive paste for an internal electrode.

In the multilayer electronic component according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure, the dielectric filling ratio maybe more than 20% to less than 80%.

A dielectric filling ratio may be defined as a ratio of an overalllength of a dielectric substance, disposed to connect adjacentdielectric layers, to an overall length of a disconnected portion, andmay be measured by scanning an image of a cross section in the firstdirection (the stacking direction) with a scanning electron microscope(SEM).

The cross section in the first direction refers to a cross section of abody taken in the first direction, a stacking direction in whichdielectric layers and internal electrode are laminated, and may be across section in second and first directions (an L-T cross section) or across section in third and first directions (a W-T cross section).

Specifically, an image may be obtained by scanning the cross section inthe third and first directions (the W-T cross section), taken along acentral portion of the body 110 in a second direction (an L direction),with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Then, an overall length ofthe disconnected portion and an overall length of the dielectricsubstance, disposed to connect adjacent dielectric layers, in a 60 μm×40μm region of a central portion of the W-T cross section may be measuredto obtain a dielectric filling ratio.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a dielectric filling ratio may be expressed as(d/g) *100 [%], a ratio of an entire surface of the dielectric substanceD (d=d1+d2+d3+d4) to an overall length of the disconnected portion G(g=g1+g2+g3+g4).

A portion of the dielectric substances, included in the disconnectedportion G, may be disposed in the form of being not connected to any oneof the upper and lower dielectric layer 111 a and 111 b. However, anoverall length d of the dielectric substance D (d=d1+d2+d3+d4+d5) refersto only a length of the dielectric substance D disposed in the form ofconnecting the adjacent dielectric layers 111 a and 111 b to each other.

When the dielectric filling ratio is 20% or less, an bonding forceimproving effect, obtained by the dielectric material D, may beinsufficient. Accordingly, the dielectric filling ratio may be, indetail, more than 20%, in further detail, 25% or more. To furtherimprove the bonding force improving effect and a chip strength improvingeffect, the dielectric filling ratio may be, in further detail, morethan 50%.

On the other hand, since a thickness te of the dielectric layer 111 maybe locally decreased when the dielectric filling ratio is 80% or more,withstand voltage characteristics may be deteriorated. According to thepresent disclosure, since the local decrease in the thickness te of thedielectric layer 111 may be suppressed by controlling the dielectricfilling ratio to be less than 80%, the withstand voltage characteristicsmay be secured even when the dielectric thickness is low. Accordingly,the dielectric filling ratio may be, in detail, less than 80%, infurther detail, 75% or less.

A method of controlling the dielectric filling ratio is not limited aslong as the dielectric filling ratio may be controlled to be more than20% to less than 80%.

For example, the dielectric filling ratio may be controlled using amethod of applying appropriate pressure to the body in the stackingdirection during sintering.

The dielectric filling ratio may be controlled by adjusting atemperature rising rate, a time, a sintering atmosphere, and the like,in a sintering process.

The dielectric filling ratio may be controlled by adjusting amounts ofconductive powder particles, an organic material, ceramic added to theconductive paste for an internal electrode. In addition, the dielectricfilling ratio may be controlled by mixing conductive powder particleshaving different sizes and adjusting a ratio thereof, or by changingprinting conditions of the conductive paste.

In a multilayer electronic component according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure, internal electrode connectivitymay be 70% or more. This is because it may be difficult to securesufficient capacitance when the internal electrode connectivity is lessthan 70%.

An upper limit of the internal electrode connectivity does not need tobe limited. However, since the bonding force improving effect, dependingon the dielectric filling ratio, may be insignificant when the internalelectrode connectivity is more than 95%, the upper limit of the internalelectrode connectivity may be 95%.

The internal electrode connectivity may be defined as a ratio of alength of an internal electrode, excluding a disconnected portion, to alength of the internal electrode and may be measured by scanning animage of a cross section in the first direction (the stacking direction)with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

In this case, the cross section in the first direction refers to acrosssection of a body taken in the first direction, a stacking direction ofa dielectric layer and an internal electrode. The cross section in thefirst direction may be, for example, a cross section in the second andfirst directions (an L-T cross section) or a cross section in the thirdand first directions (a W-T cross section).

Specifically, an image may be obtained by scanning the cross section inthe third and first directions (the W-T cross section), taken along acentral portion of the body 110 in a second direction (an L direction),with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Then, a length of an internalelectrode and a length of an internal electrode, excluding adisconnected portion, in a 60 μm×40 μm region of a central portion ofthe W-T cross section may be measured to obtain internal electrodeconnectivity.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a length of an internal electrode, excluding adisconnected portion, refers to an actual length of the internalelectrode and may refer to a length of an electrode portion E formed bysintering an internal electrode paste. For example, a length “a” of theinternal electrode may be the sum of a length of the electrode portion E(e=e1+e2+e3+e4+e5) and a length of the disconnected portion(g=g1+g2+g3+g4).

Therefore, the internal electrode connectivity is expressed as(e/a)*100[%], a ratio of the actual length of the internal electrode(e=e1+e2+e3+e4+e5) to the length “a” of the internal electrode.

A method of controlling the internal electrode connectivity is notlimited. For example, in the conductive paste for an internal electrode,a size of a metal particle, the amount of an added organic material, andthe amount of ceramic may be adjusted to control the internal electrodeconnectivity. Alternatively, a temperature rising rate, a sinteringatmosphere, and the like, may be adjusted in a sintering process tocontrol the internal electrode connectivity.

In order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of a multilayerceramic capacitor, a dielectric layer and an internal electrode shouldbe thinned to increase the number of laminated layers. As a dielectriclayer and an internal electrode are thinned, the number of laminatedlayers may be increased but the number of boundaries between dielectriclayers and the internal electrodes may also be increased. The boundarybetween the dielectric layer and the internal electrode is a region inwhich heterogeneous materials such as a metal and ceramic are bonded toeach other. Due to low bonding strength between the heterogeneousmaterials, the boundary is vulnerable to delamination and cracking.Therefore, as the dielectric layer and the internal electrode arethinned, a portion of the cutout portion G may be filled with thedielectric substance D to improve withstand voltage characteristics andreliability.

In detail, when at least one of the thickness to of each of the internalelectrodes 121 and 122 and the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111is 0.41 μm or less, the withstand voltage characteristics and thereliability may be significantly improved.

The thickness of the respective first and second internal electrodes 111and 122 may refer to an average thickness of the respective first andsecond internal electrodes 121 and 122.

The average thickness of the respective first and second internalelectrodes 121 and 122 may be measured by scanning a cross section ofthe body 110 in length-thickness directions (an L-T cross section) witha scanning electron microscope (SEM).

For example, the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may beobtained by measuring thickness values at 30 equidistant points of therespective first and second electrodes 121 and 122 in the lengthdirection thereof, with respect to any dielectric layer extracted froman image obtained by scanning a cross section of the body 110 in thirdand first directions (an L-T cross section).

The thickness values at 30 equidistant points may be measured in acapacitance forming portion in which the first and second internalelectrodes 121 and 122 overlap each other.

The thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may refer to an averagethickness of the dielectric layer 111 interposed between the first andsecond internal electrodes 121 and 122.

Similarly to the thickness te of the internal electrode, the thicknesstd of the dielectric layer 111 may be measured by scanning a crosssection of the body 110 in the third and first direction (an L-T crosssection) with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

For example, the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may beobtained by measuring thickness values at 30 equidistant points of thedielectric layer 111 in the length direction thereof, with respect toany dielectric layer extracted from an image obtained by scanning across section of the body 110 in the third and first directions (an L-Tcross section) with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

The thickness values at 30 equidistant points may be measured in acapacitance forming portion in which the first and second internalelectrodes 121 and 122 overlap each other.

A thickness of each of the cover portions 112 and 113 does not need tobe limited. However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization andhigh capacitance of a multilayer electronic component, the thickness tpof each of the cover portions 112 and 113 may be 20 μm or less.

External electrodes 131 and 132 are disposed on the body 110 andconnected to the internal electrodes 131 and 122.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the multilayer electronic component 100 mayinclude external electrodes 131 and 132, respectively disposed on thirdand fourth surfaces 3 and 4 of the body 110 to be respectively connectedto the internal electrodes 121 and 122.

In the present disclosure, the multilayer electronic component 100 has astructure including two external electrodes 131 and 132, but the number,shape, and the like of the external electrodes 131 and 132 may varydepending on a shape of the internal electrodes 131 and 132 or otherpurposes of the present disclosure.

The external electrodes 131 and 132 may be formed of any material aslong as it has electrical conductivity, such as a metal. A specificmaterial may be determined in consideration of electricalcharacteristics, structural stability. Furthermore, the multilayerelectronic component 100 may have a multilayer structure.

For example, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may include electrodelayers 131 a and 132 a, disposed on the body 110, and plating layers 131b and 132 b formed on the electrode layers 131 a and 132 a.

As a further detailed example of the electrode layers 131 a and 132 a,the electrode layers 131 a and 132 a may be sintered electrodesincluding a conductive metal and a glass, or resin-based electrodesincluding a conductive metal and a resin.

In addition, the electrode layers 131 a and 132 a may have a form inwhich a sintered electrode and a resin-based electrode are sequentiallyformed on a body. In addition, the electrode layers 131 a and 132 a maybe formed by transferring a sheet, including a conductive metal, onto abody, or may be formed by transferring a sheet, including a conductivemetal, onto a sintered electrode.

As the conductive metal included in the electrode layers 131 a and 132a, a material having improved electrical conductivity may be used and isnot limited. For example, the conductive metal may be at least one ofnickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and alloys thereof.

As a further detailed example of the plating layers 131 b and 132 b,each of the plating layers 131 b and 132 b may be a nickel (Ni) platinglayer or a tin (Sn) plating layer. Alternatively, a NI plating layer anda Sn plating layer may be sequentially formed on the electrode layers131 a and 132 a, or a Sn plating layer, a Ni plating layer, and an Snplating layer may be sequentially formed on the electrode layers 131 aand 132 a. In addition, the plating layers 131 b and 132 b may include aplurality of Ni plating layers and/or a plurality of Sn plating layers.

A size of the multilayer electronic component does not need to belimited.

However, in order to achieve both miniaturization and high capacitance,the dielectric layer and the internal electrode should be thinned toincrease the number of laminated layers. Therefore, the reliability andwithstand voltage characteristics of the present disclosure may besignificantly improved in a multilayer electronic component having asize of 0402 (0.4 mm×0.2 mm) or less.

Accordingly, when a distance between the third and fourth surfaces ofthe body is defined as L and a distance between the fifth and sixthsurface is defined as W, L may be 0.4 mm or less and W may be 0.2 mm orless. For example, the multilayer electronic component may have a sizeof 0402 (0.4 mm×0.2 mm) or less.

Embodiment

Table 1 shows evaluations of chip strength, humidity resistance, andwithstand voltage characteristics depending on change in dielectricfilling ratio.

The internal electrode connectivity and the dielectric filling ratiowere measured in a 60 μm×40 μm region of a central portion of the bodyafter scanning an image of a cross section in first and third directions(a W-T cross section) in a center of the body in the second directionwith a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Chip strength was measured as compressive fracture strength using auniversal testing machine (UTM). In the case in which the test number 7had chip strength of 100%, relative strengths were measured and listedin Table 1.

Humidity resistance reliability was measured by checking the number ofsamples, having an insulating resistance value lowered to 1/10 or lessas compared to an initial value the initial value, among 400 samples,when a reference voltage of 2Vr was applied for 12 hours at atemperature of 85° C. and relative humidity of 85%. The checked numberof samples was listed in Table 1.

Withstand voltage characteristics were measured by applying a voltage toa chip at boosting speed of 20V/sec to measure a breakdown voltage (BDV)at which leakage current was 20 mA or more. In Table 1, NG refers to acase in which BDV was 40V or less.

TABLE 1 Internal Dielectric Thickness of Thickness of Electrode FillingInternal Dielectric Chip Humidity Withstand Connectivity Ratio ElectrodeLayer Strength resistance Voltage Test No. (%) (%) (μm) (μm) (%)Reliability Characteristics 1* 80 20 450 463 60 4/400 OK 2 81 30 450 45880 0/400 OK 3 85 40 450 474 85 0/400 OK 4 87 50 450 451 89 0/400 OK 5 8960 450 453 94 0/400 OK 6 86 70 450 466 98 0/400 OK 7* 84 80 450 450 1000/400 NG 8* 80 90 450 461 102 1/400 NG

In the case of Test No. 1, a dielectric filling ratio was 20%, and chipstrength and humidity resistance reliability were deteriorated.

In the case of Test No. 7, a dielectric filling ratio was 80% and chipstrength, and humidity resistance was improved while breakdown voltagecharacteristics were deteriorated.

Meanwhile, in the case of the test Nos. 2 to 6 having a dielectricfilling ratio of more than 20% to less than 80%, chip strength, humidityresistance reliability, and withstand voltage characteristics were allimproved.

In the case of the test Nos. 2 to 6, a result of analyzing an imagescanned by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was that at least onedisconnected portion of an internal electrode included both a pore and adielectric substance disposed to connect adjacent dielectric layers toeach other and has a length greater than a thickness of the internalelectrode.

As described above, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure, reliability of a multilayer electronic component may beimproved.

While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been shownand described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat modifications and variations could be made without departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multilayer electronic component comprising: abody including dielectric layers and internal electrodes alternatelydisposed in a first direction; and external electrodes disposed on thebody, wherein at least one internal electrode of the internal electrodesincludes a plurality of disconnected portions penetrating through arespective internal electrode, a disconnected portion of the pluralityof disconnected portions includes at least one of a pore or a dielectricsubstance disposed to connect adjacent dielectric layers to each other,at least one of the plurality of disconnected portions includes both thepore and the dielectric substance and has a length greater than athickness of the at least one internal electrode on a cross section ofthe body taken in the first direction, at least one disconnected portionof the plurality of disconnected portions includes a dielectricsubstance which is not connected to dielectric layers adjacent to the atleast one disconnected portion.
 2. The multilayer electronic componentof claim 1, wherein the body has first and second surfaces disposed tooppose each other in the first direction, third and fourth surfacesconnected to the first and second surfaces and disposed to oppose eachother in a second direction, and fifth and sixth surfaces connected tothe first to fourth surfaces and disposed to oppose each other in athird direction, and the cross section of the body taken in the firstdirection refers to a cross section in the second and first directionsor a cross section in third and first directions.
 3. The multilayerelectronic component of claim 1, wherein a dielectric filling ratio,defined as a ratio of an overall length of the dielectric substance toan overall length of the disconnected portion on a cross section of thebody taken in the first direction, is more than 20% to less than 80%. 4.The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein an internalelectrode connectivity, defined as a ratio of a length of the at leastone internal electrode excluding the disconnected portion to a length ofthe at least one internal electrode on a cross section of the body takenin the first direction, is 70% or more.
 5. The multilayer electroniccomponent of claim 1, wherein each of the dielectric layers has athickness of 0.41 μm or less.
 6. The multilayer electronic component ofclaim 1, wherein each of the internal electrodes has a thickness of 0.41μm or less.
 7. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, whereinat least one of the plurality of disconnected portions is composed ofthe dielectric substance.
 8. The multilayer electronic component ofclaim 1, wherein the body has first and second surfaces disposed tooppose each other in the first direction, third and fourth surfacesconnected to the first and second surfaces and disposed to oppose eachother in a second direction, and fifth and sixth surfaces connected tothe first to fourth surfaces and disposed to oppose each other in athird direction, and L is 0.4 mm or less and W is 0.2 mm or less, wherea distance between the third and fourth surfaces of the body is denotedas “L” and a distance between the fifth and sixth surface is denoted as“W.”
 9. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein each ofthe internal electrodes has a thickness of 0.41 μm or less and each ofthe dielectric layers has a thickness of 0.41 μm or less.
 10. Themultilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein the internalelectrodes or the dielectric substance includes at least one of silicon(Si), magnesium (Mg), or aluminum (Al).